Heart rate monitors are often used by people that want to track and/or record their heart rate during exercise. Since heart rate during exercise is reasonably correlated with the effort put forth by the person, the heart rate of the person can be used as an indicator of the intensity of the exercise. Typically, the heart rate of the person can be segmented into different zones or ranges, with variations in the effort of exercise being used to achieve a target heart rate in one of the zones for training purposes.
Heart rate monitors are often electrically connected to a strap, which is worn by the person during exercise. The strap includes electrical pads which contact the chest of the person and conduct electrical pulses from the person's heart. Heart rate monitors amplify the electrical signals and transmit the heart rate of the person to an external device for display and/or monitoring. Some examples of an external device which may be used to display and/or monitor the heart rate of the person includes cycling computers, exercise watches, exercise equipment at a gym or at home, etc.
Over time, different heart monitor manufacturers have implemented different wireless interfaces for providing heart rate information to external devices. Some interfaces are simple analog signals, while other interfaces utilize digital protocols to provide the information. The different wireless interfaces have varying support for user-equipment, such as exercise equipment, watches, cycling head units, etc. Thus it is often the case that the use of a heart rate monitor supporting a specific wireless interface is not compatible with the external devices that are in use by the person wearing the heart rate monitor. The result is inoperability and user confusion regarding if an external device will operate with a particular heart rate monitor that is in use. Further, the heart rate strap can be uncomfortable to wear or may slide out of position during exercise. The result of the latter is the loss of connectivity to the skin, with a subsequent loss of heart rate data from the heart rate monitor.